Abbas Benmamoun named vice provost for faculty advancement

Abbas Benmamoun will become the vice provost for faculty advancement, the University announced Tuesday.

This is a new position that is responsible for recruiting and retaining diverse faculty. Benmamoun—who is currently vice provost for faculty affairs and academic policies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign—will begin his new role June 1.

“The search committee was highly impressed by Dr. Benmamoun’s experience, passion and innovative ideas for the advancement of faculty and the creation of a more diverse and inclusive environment," said Provost Sally Kornbluth in a Duke Today release. "I was equally impressed and am excited to work with him to further enhance the environment for our faculty and students."

As vice provost for faculty advancement, Benmamoun will oversee University-wide strategies and programs to enhance faculty and will promote diversity and inclusion in the faculty. He will also make sure that fair practices being used in faculty recruitment and promotion.

Benmamoun previously served as head of the department of linguistics and director of the School of Literatures, Culture and Linguistics as well as associate provost for faculty development at the University of Illinois.

“Recruiting and retaining excellent and diverse faculty and providing them with the resources, support structure and environment to excel and do what they do best as educators and researchers is key to the success of a dynamic and world-renowned institution like Duke,” Benmamoun said in the release. “Faculty are universities’ competitive edge and are instrumental to their educational, research and engagement missions."